Israel trip provides connections for YBI, YSU and Youngstown

By Kalea Hall | October 12, 2017 at 12:08a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

A trip to Israel in January led to more than just one connection for Youngstown.

The Youngstown Business Incubator formed a partnership with The Junction, the first commercial accelerator of Israel, and Youngstown State University is now on the organizing committee for the Technological Innovations in Metals Engineering conference.

Also, the incubator is working with multiple Israeli companies involved in additive manufacturing.

YBI and YSU officials discussed the connections Wednesday.

“I hope we get a steady stream of potential customers that we can launch into the U.S. market,” said Barb Ewing, CEO of the incubator. “I hope it creates another level of economic activity in the region.”

While in Israel, YBI met with six companies – four of which are still in talks with YBI – and connected with The Junction. Since it was established in 2011, The Junction has hosted more than 120 companies, helping them to grow.

The Junction’s mission is to help technology companies through guidance, networking, providing access to capital, operational support and free workspace. Barak Rabinowitz, managing partner of The Junction, is originally from Youngstown.

“This partnership is to bring Israeli companies to the [Mahoning] Valley,” Rabinowitz said via video conference Wednesday. “The timing feels right now for this partnership. We expect great things to come.”

The TIME conference taking place May 30-31 next year in Haifa, Israel, allows YSU to showcase its research in additive manufacturing.

Key topics of interest at the event will be additive manufacturing, metals processing, alloys and critical materials and applications. The global event is chaired by Dan Shectman, a 2011 Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry recipient. YSU will work with Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, to invite keynote speakers and encourage people to submit proposals for presentations.

“It raises awareness of YSU and what we are doing,” said Brett Conner, director of advanced manufacturing workforce initiatives and associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at YSU.

The conference will take place every two years. In 2020, it wil be at YSU.